Asari Spits Fire, Dares Rivers Ex-LG Chairmen To Appear At Secretariat
3 min read
Blood may flow at local governments in Rivers State where the chairmen whose tenure ends on Monday, if they try to get back to their former offices.
A former Niger Delta warlord, Asari Dokubo said at Government House on Monday after a visit to the governor, Sim Fubara, that any chairman who dared the people should be ready for anything they see.
Out of the 23 council chairmen, only two-Bonny and Opobo/Nkoro- have accepted to quit honourably. The remaining 21 have insisted that their tenure had been extended by the sacked members of the state house of assembly, even though a competent court had since quashed the decision of the assembly.
On Monday, youths from some of the local governments took over the secretariats and said they would there till Wednesday.
TNN had earlier reported that the state government plans to bring on board, heads of the various local governments, to run the LGAs in the mean time.
Speaking while flanked by stakeholders of the Muslim community in Rivers State as part of activities to mark the 2024 Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, in Port Harcourt on Monday, Asari said tenure elongation was an aberration to the constitution of Nigeria.
He stated that the former chairmen, whose tenure expired on 17th June, 2024, could not force on themselves any extension of time, as it would be contrary to the oath of office they swore to.
He said such attempts would be resisted.
He said “local government chairmen’s tenure has expired today (17th June, 2024). They should quietly go home. If they want to seek re-election in accordance with the Constitution, they should go and seek re-election.
“But there is no tenure elongation in the Constitution. Their position is tenure-bound, and that tenure has expired. Let them not cause unnecessary problem for the people of the State. And I want to advise young people, that: look, don’t allow yourselves to be used.”
He said young Rivers people must know and understand what their roles are in protecting the State against those self-seeking individuals who think that it is their private estate.
Making reference to a popular radio jingle on Radio Rivers: “Love Rivers State or leave her alone. Don’t pull her down. Think what you can do for her, engage yourself in meaningful activities…”, Asari Dokubo insisted that the State is bigger than one individual.
“Only one man can be governor of Rivers State at a time. We would not have two governors at a time. The people of Rivers State are bigger than Muhajid Asari Dokubo. Rivers State is bigger than any individual. No individual can take Rivers State people for a ride and pocket us. It is not possible.
“Most of us (them), their children are not here, and their children have never come out to stand in front of any protest. They’re not like Mandela and his children or me and my children or any other body. A lot of people, they have not done this. So, nobody should be allowed to be used.
“The people are showing people’s power. The people have gone on their own to take over local government secretariat because it is about the people, and nobody can say that we voted for three years’ tenure for a chairman and the chairman should exceed one second of that tenure.
“So, the people of Rivers State are exercising their people’s power, and they are ready to take over until the government is ready to conduct a new election.”
